Text/photo: OAI

After a month with the brand new Royal Enfield Interceptor Bear 650, I’m even more excited and happy. It’s no secret (nor should it be) that I have a soft spot for the Royal Enfiled portfolio, simply because these bikes, without exception, take me back to the authentic motorcycle experience where it’s mostly just about man and machine and the joy of traveling and experiencing on two wheels. And images, of course, also score highly with me. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job as a journalist and test driver and I love driving new front technology, powder and fun steering geometry. I’m particularly interested in what I call “technology mastery” and the training that’s needed to maintain skill levels, which means training with available technology. But that doesn’t mean that’s what I choose to do when I want to relax and enjoy the ride, I’m very fond of the classic segment that offers a well-established, simple and mechanical technology platform and, not least, distinctive features and an image I love and enjoy traveling with.

Love the Scrambler segment

Many people will probably claim that I have a frivolous relationship with motorcycles because I change my own bike as often as I do. I have to put up with that when I have 130 (new) bikes in my own ownership, i.e. about 2-3 a year in the most active period, I don’t think anyone in Norway has owned that many, but if you do, by all means get in touch 😊. In addition, there are the between 30 – 40 bikes I run tests with every year. Knowing that we humans are different allows me to marvel that I then place my own heart in the Royal Enfield camp and how did it happen. Why didn’t I become a BMW, KTM, Yamaha, Triumph, Kawasaki or Suzuki dude like everyone else? Why don’t I do what everyone else does, ride the adventure line all the way out with an equipment package that is so big and comprehensive that, due to weight and space, I won’t be able to carry everything I have or have bought! There are side bags, top cases, folding chairs, tents, satellite phones and God knows what else, and then your adventure machine weighs so much that you need 2-3 people to lift it if you tip over! You have to respect the fact that there are many people who enjoy touring, but that’s not really me. I say like REMA, simple is often the best and that’s how I prefer to operate.

The challenger to Kenny Dundee

Journalist colleague Kyrre Hagen aka Kenny Dundee is a hard-core adventure dude that I like to rally with, Kenny Dundee is perhaps one of the best MC journalists we have in Norway who digs the other extreme with impassable wasteland, hammocks, spoiled freeze-dried food, flies and mosquitoes and Kenny Dundee definitely has other pleasures in life than me, it often ends badly and of course I can not let this pass unnoticed! Fortunately, this went fantastically well and no one in the tour group got so much as a scratch 🤣, but this is not quite my thing. It’s part of the story that Kenny Dundee will do anything to get attention and believes that all publicity is good PR.

Fortunately, we’re all different, and I can honestly say that I love the Royale concept of good hotels, good food and drink and everything else that goes with an everyday pleasure concept. And this is exactly where the Scrambler from Royal Enfield comes in, all I need is a map, a backpack with a pair of light elegant shoes, a pair of expensive shorts and a polo shirt, some toiletries, after shave and a credit card, then I’m “good to go” for a little week on the road. This fits like a glove with scrambling, where the most important thing is to drive, experience low-threshold projects that are feasible and compatible with a normal hvarmansen.liv, then Kenny Dundee gets to be Kenny Dundee.

Cultivating motorcycles and everyday luxury

I like to ride the bike as it is, when I test motorcycles the starting point is always that the manufacturer has made the bike with a purpose and by highly skilled people, including the designers who know much more about this than those of us who are driven by emotions and preferences. This means that my experiences revolve around me, the machine and the environment I’m traveling in or encountering, and less about what others might think. And this is exactly where Royal Enfield hits me right in the heart, they are not expensive and they are not “main stream”, they are technically generous and require no special skills but they differ from many other models in that they are good and communicate well with me as a driver and all models really do. From the 350 cubic meters to the 650 class, which is currently the largest they have. I enjoy driving a 350 Meteor, a Classic 350, a Himalayan 450, a Classic 650 or an Interceptor Bear 650 as much as I do now, but I must admit that the latter has been particularly successful.

And why is that? Well, probably because this bike represents the very “sweet-spot” of what I like to do when I’m out riding, enjoying good riding experiences and not least experiencing mastery, and of course not least relaxing. I can say that I personally believe that important characteristics such as power delivery, ergonomics, steering geometry, weight and balance, and the quality of the main components are just as good if not better than many of the competitors. This is a 47 hp, 56 Nm A2 bike that actually matches the Triumph 900 models that are often considered the best in the scrambler segment. Let me highlight the rear shocks in particular, which I feel are much better on the Bear 650. Royal Enfield gets a lot of praise for their damping work from journalists around the world and I completely agree with that. All of the Royal Enfield models deliver well and better than the competition in this area (we’re talking about the series-produced editions), in fact much better than brands such as Triumph or, for example, Moto Guzzi V7, both of which are rather loose at the rear. The rear dampers, and indeed the swingarm as well, are important for the bike’s handling and it is therefore quickly noticeable that the manufacturer has spared no expense in this area.

Mechanical precision, steering geometry and balance

In my simple Kenny Dundee averse world, it’s important to feel mechanical precision and a motorcycle that is well balanced and otherwise able to produce rhythm, balance and good flow. It gives me a good sense of mastery, and unlike
Kenny Dundee, I don’t have to ride into terrain or challenges that I’m not at all sure I can get out of in one piece. For that, I’m probably too ordinary and far too leisurely.

But the Bear 650 is definitely a capable gravel machine and with my skills I can take the bike with me on most things, on and off road and without my heart in my throat. With a wet weight of 216 kg and a nice power distribution and great engine sound, it’s easy to enjoy all phases of the ride. The bike has absolutely brilliant and not least fun driving characteristics on asphalt, giving it a wide and adventurous range of uses. Dampers, frame and the large 19-inch front wheel with the well-functioning Nylorex MRF tires (not a well-known brand in Norway, but as good as anything else), which are typical 30/70 tires, help to significantly expand this range of applications.

Responds really well to push technique

Bear 650 is slim, with a wide handlebar that helps keep the rider centered and balanced in the bike. The handlebar is the link to the rider’s good communication and contact with the front wheel, which you get very good contact with. If you use the push technique, the Bear 650 responds very quickly by settling down in the bend and then you just have to follow it with a good look. If the bend bends, just push with the same push technique and you can easily pull up a surgical curve where the bike is safe and sound. The Bear 650 is truly a master of corners and the bike delivers an unexpectedly high fun-factor. If you ride in areas with tight and sharp turning combinations, this really becomes a fun experience. Personally, I find the steering geometry on the Bear 650 to be significantly lighter, more precise and more fun than its competitors from Triumph and Moto Gussi. These I experience as much stiffer and less agile.

Some very simple modifications

“I’ve only made one modification, but it’s an important and successful one for me. I’ve fitted raiser bars of about 150 mm so that I can drive better when standing on gravel or uneven ground. My experience so far indicates that I can benefit from finding raisers that are 250 mm, so I will try to find that.

High quality, reliable and great value for money

The vast majority of people are concerned with quality and price and here Royal Enfield scores highly. There’s little wrong with these bikes and the technical environments that serve this brand are certainly competent. Royal Enfield uses consistently recognized main components so you don’t have to worry about that. In terms of price, they easily compete with the new Chinese brands and we shouldn’t forget that this is actually one of the world’s oldest motorcycle manufacturers. However, new knowledge and innovation have brought the brand to the fore again with renewed relevance.

The sum of synergies creates great experiences

Building the perfect motorcycle is not easy and usually involves making a number of compromises to get the price, quality and handling right. The sum of these capacities and characteristics is summed up in what we like to call a riding experience. It’s not uncommon for compromises to be made, such as poor rear dampers, at the expense of the sum total and the driving experience, but Royal Enfiled has managed to avoid this. There is little to point the finger at, and it is largely my own limitations that affect the driving experience and the model thus facilitates fantastic driving and travel experiences.

So for me, the Bear 650 is a happy pill, it is in many ways a tribute to good driving experiences and must in no way be underestimated. If you fail to familiarize yourself with what this is, you’re guaranteed to make a huge mistake, depending on your taste, preferences, segment and desired image, it can actually cost you dearly in the form of higher costs and lost experiences. I once tried to put Kenny Dundee on a Moto Guzzi V7 and he wailed painfully, it didn’t suit him and he begged on his bad knees for another vehicle. So success and happiness are of course closely linked to expectations and preferences, we must never forget that.

But regardless of other people’s preferences, I choose to celebrate the Royal Enfield Bear 650’s contribution to the experience of true driving pleasure. Feel free to call it a wild-card strawberry.